Le Lac Maudit (Tina comic)/plot
The adaptation is fairly faithful to the original but, of course, sections with a lot of description or conversation have been abbreviated. The section headings below do not occur in the comic strip. They are inserted here only to make comparison with the original text easier. The chapter headings in brackets refer to those in the original book. Worrals Accepts a Commission (Chapters 1-2) The meeting with Raymond and is briefing is covered in great detail over 19 pages. He doesn't mention that he got the girls' address from Squadron Leader Marcus Yorke and there isn't the typical Worrals complaint that women have to be called in to straighten out problems men cannot. Surprisingly, although the fact that Worrals and Frecks do not smoke is emphasised in the original (page 8) and even becomes a clue later, here in Tina, both Frecks and Worrals smoke cigarettes offered by Raymond. The background information provided by Schaffer is dealt with quickly in two speech bubbles and only talks about Otto Rumey and Anna Shultz having fled Germany for Canada. There is no description of who Schaffer is, why he should help the British, his revelation that Rumey was in love with Shultz and his own doubt that Shultz had any real affection for Rumey, and that she had been involved in scandals, notably with Wolfe. Raymond's reasoning for employing Worrals is slightly different--he would rather employ slightly more subtle means than the regular police. First Reconnaissance at Lac Maudit (Chapters 3-4) The girls do not stop to consult Eddie Clark for advice. Arrival and setting up base camp and discussion of their initial moves takes 7 pages. In the story, the lake is referred to as "Lac Maudit" (Accursed Lake) but Worrals does say on approaching it that it is also called "Lake Desolation". On their first reconnaissance, they discover the cairn and encounter a bear as in the original. When Worrals spots some men in the distance, she thinks they are Captain John Larwood and Erik Hedin. In the original, she saw Larwood and Wolfe. Lowenhardt's Story (Chapters 5-6) The discovery of Max Lowenhardt and his story about what happened since their departure from Germany is treated in detail over more than 20 pages. Like in the original, Lowenhardt helps prepare an aircraft, but in this case, it's a Consolidated Catalina! They never call it a Kondor, but on arrival, Rumey does dismantle the wings and keeps the fuselage as living quarters and it ends up being called "The Box". Rumey doesn't have to have the secret of the gold location charmed out of him, he shows it to Wolfe and Shultz freely. Other than this, the rest of his account is consistent with the original, including how Hedin and Larwood are persuaded to team up, how they are tricked to miss their plane and how Rumey meets his death. Awkwards Situations (Chapters 7-8) The events of the next day are also recounted in detail faithfully. Worrals and Frecks head for "The Box" to arrest Shultz but their attempt to catch her alone is foiled by the appearance of Wolfe calling for her. The only difference is that he doesn't appear to have injured his hand. Worrals goes off to warn Hedin and Larwood and finds the dig vacated. Coming back, Frecks is gone. At Close Quarters (Chapters 9-10) Frecks had encountered Shultz in the same way and had been invited for tea at "The Box". The conversation runs along the same lines and Frecks ends up offering to give them a ride out and they make an appointment for her to pick them up the next morning. Worrals follows the trail left by Frecks (there's a picture of her dropping a match box), and overhears some of the discussion. Frecks takes her leave but Wolfe does not insist on accompanying Frecks back to her camp as much as he did in the original. A Thief in the Night (Chapter 11) Worrals and Frecks go and fetch Shultz and Wolfe. Their gold has been stolen. The conversation between Worrals and the two Germans is almost word for word the same as in the original. Worrals agrees to do a brief air search for the "two prospectors" suspected of stealing the gold. More Revelations (Chapter 12) Back at the base camp, Worrals and Frecks meet Hedin, Larwood and Angus Fraser. He has come by boat, but here it looks more like a motor boat than a canoe. As in the original, Fraser had learnt all about Shultz, there's a picture of her in the police office. The men all offer to help. They proceed to set up their ambush, only instead of walking, here they take the boat. Just like in the original, Worrals and Frecks go back to "The Box" and report where the two prospectors are. Shultz and Wolfe set off to retrieve their gold. Fresh Plans (Chapters 13-14) Worrals' plans are spoilt by the arrival of Hanstadt and his sailors. What goes on faithfully follows the original except that when Hanstadt tells Shultz he had picked up a signal that some Scotland Yard agents had come out to arrest her, he doesn't mention the name "Warrington". Left with Wolfe and the sailors at "The Box", how Worrals schemes to get away is the same and covered in some detail. So the sailors are invited into the cabin for cognac and drugged. While Wolfe is keeping away his drug bottle, Worrals handcuffs him. Worrals Shows Her Hand (Chapter 15) How Worrals springs the ambush and what happens thereafter is also faithfully depicted, except that violent scenes are carefully sanitized. So Lowenhardt and Shultz shoot at each other at almost the same time, but neither are drawn firing their weapons. He is shown talking about his wound and Shultz is shown on the ground. Her struggle with Worrals and escape is also depicted accurately. Strange Justice (Chapter 16) They don't seem to run as far as they did in the original but a bear is shown attacking Shultz--one of the more dramatic and well drawn pictures in the album. Worrals is shown shooting at the bear with her revolver but how Frecks settles the issue by opening up with her shotgun at bear's ear is not depicted. In fact, Frecks did not carry a shotgun during the chase. Shultz is shown wounded on the ground but her wounds don't seem as bad as described in the original text. The End of the Trail (Chapter 17) The ending is somewhat different and perhaps less violent as compared with the original. Worrals delivers Shultz and Lowenhardt to hospital. A surgeon tells her Lowenhardt will pull through. As for Shultz, he is less sure. Worrals muses that perhaps Shultz has already received her punishment (it is not stated whether or not she died later). Back at Lake Desolation, Larwood tells Worrals that Hanstadt pulled out but left Wolfe behind as promised. Here again, in contrast with the original, Wolfe is not dead. Six months later, back in Britain, Worrals and Frecks receive their presents from Larwood, Hedin and Fraser. Only, they are not gold maple leaf brooches, but gold lipstick cases, which is perhaps more appropriate. Category:Plot summaries (derivative works)